Back before they became superstars, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and the rest of the "American Idol" winners were just hopefuls trying to catch their big break.
Season 11's audition rounds begin tonight; will the next "American Idol" be among those we see tonight?
Check out the first auditions of the contestants that would go on to win the show.
Season 1 - Kelly Clarkson
Kelly wore a homemade dress and sang "Express Yourself" by Madonna during her audition. She even asked Randy Jackson to trade places with her -- a pretty gutsy move considering no one really knew the judges' personalities and how they would react. Fortunately, they loved her ... and so did America.
Season 2 - Ruben Studdard
The velvet teddy bear (wearing a jersey that would become his trademark look) wowed the judges with Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon In The Sky." Check out his reaction at the end!
Season 3 - Fantasia Barrino
The singer with the unique voice actually auditioned with two songs: "Killing Me Softly" by Lauryn Hill, and "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. Judge Paula Abdul called her "interesting" -- an understatement to say the least!
Season 4 - Carrie Underwood
Carrie, the girl next door from Oklahoma, was visibly nervous before her audition. She awkwardly talked about her birthmark and even clucked like a chicken. But it was her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" that impressed Randy and Simon Cowell, who uttered "I'm surprised we haven't found a good country singer in this competition yet." Prophetic words indeed!
Season 5 - Taylor Hicks
The gray-haired crooner surprised Paula with his version of Sam Cook's "A Change Is Gonna Come." Unconvinced, Randy asked him to sing something else. It's probably the only time a contestant sang Ray Charles' "Swanee River Rock." Simon even said no, saying Taylor should sing backgrounds. Even Simon is wrong sometimes!
Season 6 - Jordin Sparks
16-year-old Jordin tackled a big song -- Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" -- with ease, earning three yes' from the judging panel, even though Simon was distracted by her "weird smile."
Season 7 - David Cook
"Idol's" first rock winner was inspired by Chris Daughtry's success in Season 5. He was super confident and killed with his rendition of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," though Randy recommended he work on his stage presence.
Season 8 - Kris Allen
The unassuming singer flew under the radar for so long he wasn't highlighted during the audition rounds (footage was shown later.) Simon, Randy and Kara DioGuardi all criticized his modesty, but gave him passes to Hollywood. He sang Leon Russell's ballad "A Song For You."
Season 9 - Lee DeWyze
The Season 9 champ auditioned in the same city as runner-up Crystal Bowersox. While Crystal got more screentime in their montage, Lee still impressed with his soulful version of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine."
Season 10 - Scotty McCreery
The latest "Idol" winner auditioned with "Your Man" by Josh Turner -- a song he'd reprise many, many times throughout the season (much to our chagrin). He also sang Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive In Your Country," causing Steven Tyler to declare "Hellfire, save matches, f--k a duck and see what hatches," in front of a mortified Jennifer Lopez.
Who is your favorite "American Idol" champion? Tell toofab in the comments below!
